The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2015, and October 31, 2016 (see FAQ for exceptions), are automatically nominated for the 2016 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on November 3, 2016, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

The post-apocalyptic world Thomas Pryce so effectively renders in his debut novel Unnatural Selection may be rife with sun-seared cannibals and other assorted perils, but the former science teacher from Yonkers, N.Y., says, “There’s no more comfortable place for me to be than building a world in my own little room behind a computer.”

We caught up with the author in southwest Florida, where he runs a company that builds and manages high-end custom aquariums. Here, he talks ...

After a successful string of books largely aimed at academia, Jonathan Gottschall is hoping for something new—a popular hit.

His latest, The Storytelling Animal, is a lively exploration into the very nature of stories and why they seem so central to the human psyche. We recently found the Washington and Jefferson College educator operating even further outside his comfort zone while assembling a book trailer for The Storytelling Animal on his desktop computer. “I’m just kind of screwing around here ...

It’s almost dinnertime and Matthew Gavin Frank, author of Pot Farm, his alternatively manic and moving account of working on a medicinal marijuana farm for three months at the tail-end of 2006—is busy preparing the venison one of his writing student’s at Northern Michigan University has agreed to share.

Former president of the Italian Senate Marcello Pera makes no bones about it—Western culture is in danger of collapsing if it denies its Christian heritage. And he’s not even a true believer in the religion.

We talked with Pera at his home in Italy about the debut of Why We Should Call Ourselves Christians: The Religious Roots of Free Societies. Here, he talks about Christianity’s role in the formation of modern liberal cultures and how Europe—and the United States—would ...

Whether you know her as outrageous cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester from Glee, as delusional actress doing time as a cater-waiter Constance Carmell from the cult hit Party Down, or her many other memorable film and TV roles, you’re well aware that Jane Lynch is seriously funny. But what you probably don’t know, as her candid, comedic and ultimately uplifting new memoir Happy Accidents reveals, is that Lynch is one heckuva dragon slayer, too. Having finally overcome her struggles with her ...

The Devil probably isn’t making him do it, but professional illusionist and troublemaker Penn Jillette is still bent on turning as many souls away from The Almighty as he possibly can. His latest release, God, No! Signs You May Already Be an Atheist and Other Magical Tales, is a humorous re-envisioning of the Ten Commandments for our modern—and more profane—age.

When neuroscientist Kelly Lambert looks at her lab rats, she can’t help but envision them in a slow-motion ballet with a backing track of classical music behind them. As psychology chair and co-director of the Office of Undergraduate Research at Randolph-Macon College in Virginia, she’s studied rodents for over 25 years. Now, she says, it’s high time scientists started looking at the much-maligned rat in profoundly new ways.

Dhani Jones is a professional football player, reality-TV star, sports analyst and men’s fashion designer. In other words, he’s a hard guy to pin down. During two seasons on the Travel Channel’s Dhani Tackles the Globe, he challenged the international community at its own game and won some well-earned friendships and respect in the process. This summer, Jones is stepping into a different arena altogether with the release of his debut book The Sportsman, which Kirkus called “a thought-provoking adventure ...

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